Old timer at the bindery told me I was using way too much glue on my spines and showed me how a paper-thin layer actually holds better

He literally took my brush out of my hand, wiped off 80% of the PVA, and the book closed so much cleaner - has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit that was making your work bulky?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.aaron21d ago

Took me years of making fat, clunky hardcovers before I finally listened to someone who knew what they were doing. I always thought more glue meant a stronger bond, but watching that old timer scrape off most of it and still get a perfect hold made me feel pretty dumb. Now I use maybe a quarter of what I used to and my books close flat instead of looking like they're about to burst open. Honestly, it's one of those things where less really is more, and unlearning that habit was the best thing for my work. Still catch myself reaching for too much sometimes but I stop and remember that thin layer really does the trick.

karen36121d ago

Ngl, switching to PVA glue changed everything for me too. Way less is way more.

west.richard21d ago

That old timer part really makes you think about how much we overcomplicate things.